Holiday Sale on Hand Painted Pottery

All
of my
hand painted pottery
Christmas Ornaments and
Holiday Plates are now on sale
!!!

A quick peak here:

Chill Baby
Let the wine flow

Berry Christmas
Chocolate and Wine

Beer and Football
Life's little gifts

If you would like to see more ~ just visit
My Wee Christmas Shoppe
click on shop and you'll magically be transported!

Last Minute Christmas Rush

Paint seems to be flying as I finish up one of my

last custom portraits for the 2009 holiday season.
All in hopes that this thoughtful gift -
(from a son and his fiance - to their newly-wed
mother and step-father) will make it safely onto
Santa's sleigh by tomorrow afternoon.


The original photograph


Late night painting in my pj's - while
listening to the Redskins loose to the Giants.


The finishing touches.

The end of a long day - and I'm ready for bed.
Sweet dreams.

Recipe for Teenage Christmas Joy

Take a heap of teenage wonder
that opens up our eyes



To the unexpected gifts they give -
Each one a sweet surprise.

Mix in fond appreciation
For the great friends whom they know:
Like festive Christmas Ornaments,
Each one has a special glow

Add some giggles and some laughter,
A dash of Christmas food,
Amazing how creativity
improves their attitude.



Stir it up with human kindness;
Wrap it up with love and peace,
Decorate with optimistic dreams, and
their joy will never cease.

Keep handy this healthy recipe
And always try to remember

To remain in the Christmas Spirit,
Even when it's not December.

Women who Art - Student Spotlight

The artist of the week ~
Susan Bernhardt
Susan joined our Monday morning art class during
the November session and was soon gracing us with
her talent and stories. We all welcome her joy for life,
her sense of humor, and her passion for painting.


After graphing her image, Susan begins the painting
in an impressionistic style.


At the end of each session paintings are placed on our
"critique easel" for valued input from the rest of the class.
This is a great picture of Susan's original image and the
graphed canvas reproduction - in it's beginning stages.

Using her lap as an easel, she continues to figure
out and add areas of contrast and value.

The Island Bungalow emerges from her
brush, the paints and the canvas.

A last studied look before putting her painting
on the easel and asking the proverbial question ~
"Do you think I'm done?"

Susan and her amazing masterpiece -
One can just imagine an incredible art studio
housed within those walls!
Seriously, When can we move in?

Hand Painted Christmas Gifts

I

am feeling
the time crunch
of the "I need this for
Christmas" deadline fast
approaching. Friday, December
18 is the cutoff date for shipping
packages within the U.S. to ensure
they'll arrive in time for holiday gift
giving. And, custom orders continue
to come in, all of which I gladly welcome
and - with the weather being like it is - I am
more than happy to stay inside and paint! So,
if you are interested in a custom order, don't hesitate to
contact me ~ I would love to help you create a special holiday gift
for a loved one
or friend.


Here are a few ideas from custom gifts
that I've been busy painting this weekend.
You can click on the picture for more information.


A set of Custom Hand Painted Portrait Ornaments ~
Hand drawn from the customers photographs, painted and
outlined. They are in my kiln now for the final firing process.


Hand painted portraits on Canvas. I am working on three ~
one 16" x 20" painting of a newlywed couple; one 5" x 7" painting
of a friends mother posing on a dock - taken in the 1960's; and a
5" x 7" painting of grandparents walking with their grandchildren.


Wine bottles slumped (flattened) in my kiln - with
attached custom labels and ribbon ~ and pottery
ornaments painted by my Sunday afternoon
art students - who will be arriving shortly for another
afternoon session of holiday art.

Please let me know if there is a special gift that
you would like me to create.
Have a wonderful day and Thanks for stopping by.

Custom Hand Painted Portrait Ornaments

Yesterday I wrote about two custom orders I had received
for original, hand painted pottery ornaments ~
The first order - Hand painted portraits of a newly engaged
couple, her parents, grandparents, and two friends - all of
whom are now immortalized on special holiday ornaments.


Here they are ~ Fresh out of the kiln and looking
very happy.

Even happier now that they're "fully dressed"
with color coordinated ribbons.


Hand written names and dates help customize these
thoughtful gifts.

The Second Custom Order was for a Husband who
loves the Nebraska Huskers Football Team.


Herbie Husker honored on an ornament.

And the back of Herbie.
Somebody is going to be very happy hanging this up
on his tree!

***Just in time for last minute holiday shopping***
I'm running a special on my ornament sets ~
10% off the total cost if you purchase 3 or more ornaments ~
and shipping is free.
Click here for more information: Magic Markings Art.com

A Unique Christmas Gift Idea

Custom Hand Drawn and Hand Painted

Portraits on a Pottery Ornament.

Show
your love
with an original
keepsake. A gift that
will be treasured long after
the Christmas Tree is taken down.
The perfect present for a newly wed couple,
grandparent, parent, or for any special occasion.
Enjoy.

Special Order ~
Hand drawn portraits of a newly engaged couple,
parents, grandparents, and best friends.

Ornaments - Painted with lead-free, non-toxic
glazes, outlined and ready for the kiln.


Close-up detail -
before firing.


And another custom ornament...this one with a
sports theme.


Nebraska Husker


Outlined and ready for the firing process.

I'll be firing these tonight, and showing the finished pieces
tomorrow. If you are interested, or thinking about a custom
made piece and would like more information ~ click here:
Magic Markings Art.com

Thank you for visiting.

Student Spotlight - Women Who Art

Artist of the Week...
Virginia Hudgins


The Subject...Daisy...


A bright, sunny morning in the studio,
everyone happily painting.

During the first session, Virginia painted an undercoat
of blue and violet to show shadow and depth. She glazed
over the dark tones with a yellow-gold acrylic paint adding white
highlights to the fur and black to the mouth, nose and eyes.

During the next class, more paint was added to bring
color and life to Daisy's portrait.

A few more brush strokes to add detail ~
and the truly amazing portrait of Daisy is finished.

The colors and detail in this painting are stunning,
as is the the way Virginia was able to capture Daisy's
incredible spirit and personality.

Congratulations on an Amazing Work of Art, Virginia ~
We all stand in Awe!

Vintage Vignettes

Fresh

Paint
Custom order
for the holidays. A
couple of old family photo's,
scanned, printed, cut, collaged,
and hand painted onto onto a painted
5" x 7" canvas board. A wonderful gift
idea that is not only a custom piece
of art work but one that will bring
back memories from childhood and
laughter shared amongst siblings.
Thank you for letting me be
a part of your special
holiday gift.
*

Original Picture


Look What I Caught!
Acrylic Painting


Original Picture


Two Beach Babes
Acrylic Painting

I also want to thank Southern Belle's Blog
for the nice feature article she posted on her blog
today. You can read a little about me and my art
by clicking here: Magic Markings Art Feature

Hand Painted Christmas Ornaments

Love
this busy
time of the year ~
almost every room in
our home is a staging area for
some form of a holiday project. My
son's room is the "mat cutting" area and the
place where I store my art students canvas'. My
dining room is as always, the main area for painting. Our
family room has become the official Women who Art painting
area and my pottery painting site. Our dilemma now is ~ Where
Do We Put the Tree??!!!! Oh well, a busy home is a happy
home.

Just for you... a peak into yesterdays ornament production.


Pottery ornaments, hand drawn and hanging out
in the sunlight.


Later that evening...
the painting process has begun.


Even later that evening...
ornaments are painted and outlined in black.


At 12:30PM ~ my day was finished. So,
I left the U.Va. Cav man and the Va. Tech
HokieBird alone on the table to duke it out
while everyone else in the house slept soundly.
Not to worry though...
this morning everything appeared unscathed and
the ornaments are now in the kiln for their firing process.
Tomorrow they'll be ready for ribbons, photo's and for listing
in my shop: Magic Markings Art.com

If you would like a customized ornament ~ let me know...
if you don't have a blog - and want to leave a message just
select the anonymous button in the "Comment As" Area.
I would also love to hear your ideas for ornament designs -
or your thoughts as to who would win the
Cav man vs. HokieBird wrestling match!